Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 257: People in the Painting

The sunlight shines on the curtains.

"Ahem." Uncle Gui stepped heavily, cleared his throat and reported to the inside: "Second Master, the two princes are here."

Li Shanmin, who had been silent all this time, said cheerfully: "Brother Wang, Xiaocai, please come in."

Li Shanmin's study has three rooms facing south. When you go in through the curtain, you can see that the furnishings are simple and unpretentious, but the collection of books is very rich.

The couch was placed at the easternmost end of the study. At first glance, Li Shanmin was lying there with his clothes on, his face pale and his hair disheveled, obviously he was seriously ill.

Sitting in front of the couch was an old man in his early fifties, with a white linen scarf wrapped around his head, a cloth robe and cloth shoes, thick eyebrows and a long face, and bright eyes. I guess he was the mountain man's father, Lord Li Wan.

Wang Heng and Xiao Cai both rushed forward a few steps, bowed deeply to Li Wan, and said, "Greetings, old master Shi Weng."

"It turns out that it's Young Master Wang who's here." Li Wan stood up and walked over to look at the Wang brothers. She laughed and said, "It's no wonder that I mentioned you three times a day. Young Master Wang is really a handsome man."

Li Wan's words were warm and made people feel like they were bathed in spring breeze. Wang Heng blushed slightly and said stiffly, "Your Excellency is too kind."

Li Wan sneered and said, "When young people are talking, we old men should stay away from them, so as not to be seen as tactless and be disliked." After saying that, she lifted her robe and left.

Seeing that he spoke humorously, Wang Heng and Xiaocai both smiled, thinking that the mountain villager's father was really approachable and had no official airs despite his prominent reputation.

Wang Heng couldn't help but complain in his heart that Master Wang San couldn't even handle a small official position and had lost all his wife's dowry, but he was the one who had the final say in the inner hall.

Wang Cai's father was the long-time attendant of Master Wang San. He was known to the outside world as the Second Master, and he acted arrogantly with his wife and children. He always talked about how hard he worked. People who didn't know him would think that he was doing some important job and had saved up some money.

The two were daydreaming when Li Shanmin called them, "Come, come, sit by the bed."

Uncle Gui brought over two round tables and turned around to leave.

"Mountain people, how come you are so seriously ill in just a few days?" Wang Heng asked.

Li Shanmin leaned halfway on the bed and said with a forced smile: "Actually, I feel much better today. At least I am conscious now."

Xiaocai said, "That day when I said goodbye to Brother Shanmin in the carriage at Jixian Gate, he looked fine. I wonder what disease he has?"

"It's a long story," Li Shanmin said with a bit of tiredness.

"That day I looked for Xiao Hei everywhere, but couldn't find him until dark. The next morning I heard him meowing, and when I opened the door I saw him jumping in. He had lost a lot of weight, and was lying listlessly, and he had started to have diarrhea." Li Shanmin seemed a little dazed. "I saw Master Bao in the Hua Zhenjun Temple treat cats and dogs before, so I took Xiao Hei to him. Master Bao said that Xiao Hei must have eaten something bad, maybe some poisonous plants on the mountain in Nanjian. Master Bao fed Xiao Hei some herbal juice and told him to eat normally."

"Since that night, I had a low-grade fever, and gradually began to have diarrhea. I had a fever for several days, felt dizzy, and had some memory problems. It seemed that Brother Ruan from next door came to visit and found that I had a high fever. He called the servant Lao Chen to invite Doctor Sun from Taiping Gate. After taking two doses of medicine, I felt worse. I remembered that my family worshipped Mr. Zhao, so I asked Lao Chen to send Xiao Hei to the home of Mrs. Gao and asked them to send me back. Mr. Zhao was indeed very good. After taking two doses of medicine, I felt much better."

Wang Heng stood up, paced a few steps at the head of the bed, and said, "So, your symptoms are similar to Xiao Hei's. Could it be that Xiao Hei was infected with some epidemic?"

"How can humans and kittens infect each other?" Wang Cai was a little incredulous.

Li Shanmin said, "Mr. Zhao said he had an upset stomach, maybe he ate something unclean by mistake."

"Did you eat any special or unfamiliar food during those days?" Xiaocai asked.

Li Shanmin shook his head and said, "I have always eaten in the canteen of the South Prison." This should be the truth. The frugal life of the mountain people is obvious to everyone.

Therefore, the cause of the disease remains unclear.

Li Shanmin was still thinking hard. Seeing that his brows were furrowed, Wang Heng advised: "Shanmin, you shouldn't worry too much when you are sick. Besides, you are almost well now. Why bother thinking about these unhappy things? Let's just sit down and chat."

Uncle Gui, the housekeeper, came into the room with a plate of melons in his hands, and said with a smile, "Master, please have some honeydew melons. They are all grown by our family. They have been soaking in the well for half a day. They are cool and can relieve the heat."

The mountain people were very polite to Uncle Gui: "Just send a boy to deliver it. Uncle Gui will bring it personally."

Uncle Gui turned around and said to Li Shanmin, "Mr. Zhao said that Second Master can't eat it for the time being. He has to wait three to five days."

When Xiaocai saw the lovely green melon, he took a piece and tasted it. It was very sweet and he couldn't help but praise it.

"Are the melons grown by your mansion? It's amazing that the servants of your mansion can cultivate such a good variety." Wang Cai had been eating radishes and cabbages in Jubao Temple for ten days. Now that he was able to eat normal food, he was willing to praise him.

Uncle Gui saw that the guest knew what he was talking about, and said happily, "The melon field is right by the water behind the house. If you are interested, I will ask Lao Xu to take you to have a look."

Wang Heng smiled and said, "There is a long way to go, let's go later."

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Uncle Gui smiled and left the study.

"The melon fields are right by the water?" Xiaocai turned around and asked Wang Heng: "When we came here, the river was shining silver, there were boats tied to the lake, and there were rows of lush green melon and vegetable fields on the shore. I praised them for being so beautiful at the time."

Wang Heng said: "Yes, there was a white cloud floating over the horizon at that time, reflected on the water surface, and the green mountains in the distance were undulating, misty and deep, beautiful like a painting."

Wang Heng suddenly recalled the past and his heart skipped a beat.

Xiaocai slapped his head and said in surprise, "Mountain folks, where is the mountain and water travel ticket you bought at the Chaotian Palace Ghost Market during the Cold Food Festival holiday? It seems to be here."

Li Shanmin nodded and said, "What Xiaocai said is right. I also suspected that the painting was of this place. I was also surprised when I saw it that day. After buying the scroll, I compared it for many days. Except for the wrong house style, everything else is correct. It's just that the painting is placed in the South Prison's room. Otherwise, I can point them out to you one by one."

Xiaocai sighed and said, "I wonder who the author of this landscape scroll is, and what story is there behind his painting this scroll?"

Li Shanmin sighed and said, "There is no title or postscript. I have studied it for a long time but found nothing."

Seeing that the mountain man was in good spirits despite being ill, and was in high spirits, the three of them began to talk about the produce of the Li family's farm. Then, a strange servant stood outside the curtain and reported: "Mrs. Liu from Cuihua Village sent an old lady to ask about Second Master's well-being. Would Second Master like to see her?"

Grandma Liu from Cuihua Village, Wang Heng and Xiaocai were all shocked, could it be her?

Xiaocai's voice trembled with excitement: "Mountain folks, this Grandma Liu is the widow of Liu Biejia, who was once the magistrate of Runzhou? Their house is in Tayuanwan, Cuihua Village?"

Li Shanmin was surprised and said: "That's right, you also know someone from the Liu Mansion."

"Grandma Liu sent the old lady to visit her, so I guess you must be her relatives?" Xiaocai asked.

"Grandma Liu is my cousin from a distance of 3,000 miles away." Li Shanmin was a little embarrassed and said, "I am as close to you as brothers and sisters. I won't hide it from you. My father has been in mourning for more than two years. In a few months, he will be free from mourning. By then, Grandma Liu will probably become my stepmother."